Tag: Arden Fair Mall

Resulting panic not my fault, you feel me?

Louis Santiago, 18, spoke to KCRA 3 after he was released from Sacramento County Jail Thursday afternoon.
Louis Santiago, 18, spoke to KCRA 3 after he was released from Sacramento County Jail Thursday afternoon.

Interesting turn of events with this Arden Fair Mall fight on Wednesday.

Here’s what we have…

1) Dudes get into a fight.
2) Dudes knock down a sign.
3) Sign makes a loud noise.
4) Mall patrons hear loud noise and think it is a gun shot.
5) Mall patrons then turn to their smartphones and report said gun shot via social media.
6) Mall is then put on lock down until security and police could sort things out.
7) Suspect claims he was just punching a dude who walked past him like he had a problem.

Then we have one of the suspects speak on camera after being approached as he was released from jail (this did not please him, judging by the video).

“I feel bad,” Santiago said. “I send out all my apologies to all those families out there, you feel me? But it wasn’t my fault.”

Well, it sort of was, you feel me? Sure, people freaked out and assumed the worst, but it is understandable considering recent events. I do wonder if having such quick and easy access to information is a good thing.

Shoppers began texting family and friends and using social media to spread the word about what was happening, spreading incorrect information, Reed said. “It’s like the old kindergarten thing — when you tell one kindergartner and it goes around the room, by the time it gets to the other kindergartner it’s a totally different story than what it was,” he said.

I wonder if modern classrooms are not calling this game “Telephone” anymore. Maybe “Smartphone” or “Tweet this.” I could be on to something, but I digress.

What do you think? Would this have been a non-issue before smartphones and social media?

Bringing back the “need-to-know basis”

I was reading this story on news10.net about how security at Arden Fall mall used license plate scanners and HD cameras to help police arrest a car thief and couldn’t help but think, “should they really be telling us this stuff?”

One quick scroll down to the comments area (my love/hate with comments continues, btw) and I found I was not alone.

but I wish they wouldn’t release information like this to the media. There are a lot of effective tools out there for law enforcement that have been effective because the bad guys don’t know what they are or where they are. Now there is a better chance that bad guys will know not to drive stolen cars to the Arden mall, which will reduce the effectiveness of the program.

So, what’s your take? Does publicizing these advanced security measures simply help educate would-be criminals to commit craftier crimes? Or, does knowing about this stuff prevent someone from attempting an illegal act? I’m leaning toward the former.

What about you?